Sonic Rush

We're looking at what could possibly be the finest Sonic game yet.

Console gamers are suckers. They're forced to deal with some clunky, clumsy 3D renditions if they want to enjoy a new Sonic the Hedgehog experience. Not like us handheld gamers who get the "real deal" Sonic presentation. For the past few years, Sega's used the Game Boy Advance as its outlet to bring the tried-and-true sidescrolling Sonic the Hedgehog design to the gaming world, evolving the series across three unique adventures of fast-paced action. And once again the handheld gamer is getting a real treat: the Nintendo DS Sonic design, Sonic Rush, takes that 2D experience and blasts it onto the dual-screen handheld in what could be considered Sonic's finest hour.Dimps, the team that was responsible for Sonic's Game Boy Advance designs, takes what it learned with those solid and fun side scrollers to build an extremely creative Sonic platformer for DS owners. The game starts out as classic Sonic gameplay, but it's clear after the first few steps out of the gate that this is more than the classic Sonic. The basics are here: speed running, huge drop-offs, loop-de-loops, and corkscrews are all a part of the level designs in Sonic Rush, as are the newer elements like grind rails linking from one platform to the next. The challenge in each level is to scoop up rings and get to the end as quickly and as unscathed as possible, and if you're lucky enough you might even earn a chance to score one of the hidden Chaos Emerald that will, potentially, open up more of the game's design. The two playable characters, Sonic and new cat babe Blaze, means multiple paths, levels, and endings to shoot for.Right off the bat you'll see the biggest addition to the Sonic franchise: the developers have combined the top screen with the bottom screen to create a single vertical display. It's not a new technique for a DS game, as games like Metroid Prime Pinball and Bomberman DS have paired up the two screens in their designs. But because the action moves so quickly (a Sonic the Hedgehog staple), this technique is much more impressive on Sonic Rush because the developers had to create a "smart camera" to make sure that Sonic is in the best spot on either screen to see what's coming up ahead.The dual-screen feature does take a bit to get used to, since most players are used to experiencing platforming gameplay on a single display. On occasion Sonic will zip vertically off the lower screen onto the upperscreen without any warning, and it'll take some eye and mental training to learn that moving off-screen in this game doesn't necessarily mean zooming out of play. For the most part Dimps does a fantastic job keeping up with Sonic and shifting him from one screen to the next, and the pairing of the two screens actually adds a lot to the exploration aspect of the Sonic the Hedgehog design; players can see a good distance above and below the character and make preparations&#Array;even if they're split-second preparations.While the vertical aspect of Sonic Rush has been covered by technology, the horizontal has been taken care of by brand new gameplay elements. Sonic games have always been unfair in the sense that level designers encourage running through a level as fast as possible, only to be absolutely devious by throwing an enemy in the person's path so suddenly that there's no humanly way to react in time. The designers remedy this with a new "boost" mechanic that enables players to generate power and use them as speed boosts and attacks; when players speed down a straight speed strip, they can let loose a burst of speed and energy which can, and usually will, take out a bad guy that happens to be in harm's way. It's a brilliant addition that frees up a lot of the annoyances in past Sonic games because now players can deal with the enemies positioned purposely in a blind spot.